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Desert Passage: Las Vegas' Latest Themed Mall

Last year, the Venetian followed the same formula, with the additional gimmick of a canal in the middle of the streetscape. The stores and restaurants of the Venetian's Grand Canal Shoppes comprise 500,000 square feet, which is the same amount of space at the Forum Shops since the original version expanded to double in size.

Desert Passage, which opened in August, is the third application of this formula, with 500,000 square feet of shopping and dining that wraps around most of the Aladdin. With Rome and Venice already taken as themes, and the Aladdin using the theme of 1,001 Arabian Nights, the developer of Desert Passage based its design on ancient spice trade routes, with the main emphasis on Morocco.

"We thought their idea was perfect for the time," said Mark Shapiro, chief executive of Momentum, a St. Louis marketing firm. Momentum handles the "branding" of Desert Passage, and creates the television and print advertising for the mall. Shapiro said Northern Africa is a hot theme today, inspiring trendy restaurants in places like New York City.

One of the targets of Momentum's marketing efforts is the visitor who arrives at Las Vegas' McCarran Airport. The company has rented several billboards on roads leading from the airport.

"Many visitors, on arrival, have not yet committed to the top eight things they're going to do in Las Vegas," Shapiro said. "Everyone has limited time, and the market is so saturated with 'must-sees.' "

The owners of the Aladdin did not build Desert Passage. It was developed and is managed by TrizecHahn Development Corp., part of a major Canadian commercial real estate firm. Lee Wagman, the president of TrizecHahn Development, said Desert Passage benefits from his company's experience.

Unlike the competing malls, he said, Desert Passage has extensive frontage on the Strip, at the same grade level as the Strip. It has seven different entrances for pedestrians, including three from the street and one from the mall's own 6,000-car garage.

The mall has 130 stores and 14 restaurants. More than 50 of the tenants are new to Las Vegas, including Commander's Palace, which is probably the most famous of the classic New Orleans restaurants.

Asked to compare the shopping experience at Desert Passage to that of the Forum Shops, Wagman told RGT Online, "This is a next generation of project. We are much more experiential and immersive. It really engages the visitor on a much different level than the Forum Shops."

Visitors can ride through the "streets" of Desert Passage in small carts driven by bicyclists (the fee is whatever you want to tip the driver). Sound effects include street sounds and music recorded in Morocco.

Musicians, acrobats, jugglers, story tellers and even contortionists - many of whom originally lived in countries such as Morocco and India - wander through the mall, stopping here and there to entertain shoppers.

"These are not stage shows where you go see them at say 12:15," Wagman said. "These are people that rove through the center that you will encounter on a spontaneous basis, and therefore your trip one time will be different from the next."

To lend an authentic touch, TrizecHahn bought antiques from warehouses in Northern Africa, such as doors and gate posts and metal stampings. The lamps and sconces were handmade in Morocco.

One feature that's pure special effects is the harbor with a replica of a steamer. There are intermittent rain showers, complete with simulated lightening and thunder and rain. Real water pours down, thousands of gallons' worth.

Wagman said Desert Passage has "extraordinary real estate fundamentals." There are 25,000 hotel rooms within a 10-minute walk, he said, including some of the newer, more desirable resorts, such as Bellagio and Paris.

The rapid growth in retail space on the Strip doesn't worry Wagman, who points out that the number of visitors to the city just keeps growing.

"The visitors to Las Vegas are coming to be entertained in a number of different ways and will spend freely to be entertained," he said. "It's not just gaming, that's just one form of entertainment. They're looking for something unique. . . . And it's also the number one convention city in the U.S.

"This project (Desert Passage) would never have worked anywhere else. It's strictly a response to the opportunities that exist in Las Vegas."

TASTING NOTES: More than a fourth of Desert Passage's space is devoted to restaurants. I tried two on a recent visit. Neither had anything to do with the Moroccan or spice route theme of the mall, but both were excellent.

Anasazi of Santa Fe has one of the most creative menus I've seen. The restaurant says it serves "contemporary Western cuisine utilizing organic and natural ingredients when possible." I'd describe it as gourmet Southwestern.

The chef combines culinary influences in unexpected and fascinating ways, such as a foie gras nacho, lobster fajitas and habanero-merlot glazed tuna mignon.

Anasazi is in a section of Desert Passage that does not seem to be getting its share of foot traffic, and business is slow. Surely over time, more tourists and conventioneers will discover this great restaurant.

I also heartily recommend Josef's, an authentic Parisian bistro. The food reminds me of how great the basic French dishes - such as quiche lorraine, boudin blanc or a croque madame - taste when they're properly prepared.

The restaurant is owned by Joseph Keller, who also owns Bouchon in Napa Valley. His brother owns The French Laundry, an even more famous Napa restaurant.

A seat "outside" at the front of Josef's may be one of the best people-watching spots in Las Vegas, where you can check out the visitors who are checking out Desert Passage.

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